How To Clean a Blender In 30 Seconds (Without Taking It Apart)

A few weeks ago Emily told us about the quickest, easiest way to clean a blender — one that takes mere seconds and doesn't involve taking your blender pitcher apart. It was a forehead-smacking moment for me; what an obvious and delightful way to clean a blender! I often avoid using my blender to puree soups or to do other messy jobs; I hate taking it apart and scrubbing out the pitcher.

Well, this 30-second cleaning method means much faster, easier cleanup after smoothie-making and soup-pureeing. I tried it out for myself — let me show you!

This blender cleaning method is super easy — do you already do this? You just need hot water, a bit of soap, and a few seconds. If your blender has build-up or is looking a bit dull, you can also add a drop of vinegar or some lemon, as Emily did in her original post.

We also saw this tip demonstrated in video at CHOW — check it out here:

One final note: This quick and easy method doesn't replace occasional deep-cleaning of your blender. I clean it out quickly after basic tasks, but I still do take it apart from time to time and clean the blades and any gunk hanging out under the rubber ring.

1. Pour water in the blender: Fill your blender pitcher about halfway with hot water from a kettle or the tap.

How To Clean a Blender In 30 Seconds (Without Taking It Apart)

What You Need

Materials
Hot water
Dish soap

Equipment
A dirty blender

Instructions

Pour water in the blender: Fill your blender pitcher about halfway with hot water from a kettle or the tap.

Add dish soap: Add just a drop of dish soap.

Turn on the blender! Put the blender pitcher back on the base and hold the lid down with a towel. Turn on the blender and let it run for about 10 seconds.

Pour out the hot water and rinse: Rinse out the blender thoroughly with more hot water. Ta-da! You should have a perfectly clean blender with no smoothie, no soup, no pureed baby food left to be scrubbed out.

Faith is executive editor of The Kitchn and author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook, coauthored with Sara Kate Gillingham, as well as Bakeless Sweets. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Mike.